Abstract:
Two holes in the sea ice were melted in a location off Cape Armitage. Heated containers were installed over the holes to enable detailed oceanographic experimentation. Sea ice structure, C-axis orientation, sea ice salinity, presence of platelet ice, velocity profile data and a sequence of fine-scale ocean boundary layer experiments were collected. Foremost among these were synchronous
... observations of temperature, salinity and 3-dimensional velocity at high temporal resolution, aimed at characterising the turbulence regime across and beneath the base of the platelet ice matrix. In addition, several microstructure profiles of temperature over the upper ~50m of the water column and video imaging of the solid ice and platelet matrix were collected. To provide context for the fine-scale observations, full-depth CTD profiles, multi-level current meter data and temperature / salinity time series were collected throughout the period. These data will also prove useful in characterising flow about Cape Armitage, made complex through the interaction of high tidal currents with the coastal headland, and mixing of outflow from beneath the adjacent ice shelf mixing with the sub-sea ice boundary layer.